


Oh God, He Got Hot

by Ohmyrenjun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Childhood Friends, M/M, Slightly Spicy, side nomin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21801877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ohmyrenjun/pseuds/Ohmyrenjun
Summary: In the summer before senior year, Donghyuck goes away to camp, only to come back after three months looking Hot as Hell. Renjun doesn't care, though, because they're not friends anymore.Prompt #0051 for '00 Fic Fest
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 157
Collections: ’00 FIC FEST: ROUND ONE





	Oh God, He Got Hot

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there and welcome to my fic!! This was prompt #0051 for '00 Fi Fest! I would first like to thank Sol and Vic for keeping me motivated and helping me plan out this fic. Without y’all, this fic would be totally different... and might not even exist at all. I would also like to thank the prompter!! I loved the idea originally, and was very excited to be able to write and flesh out this amazing prompt! 
> 
> Secondly, I would like to apologize to the prompter. This was the first ever fic fest I participated in, and I think that definitely shows in the final product. Because of poor time management I was not able to fully flesh out everything I had initially intended. I hope to go back sometime in the near future and fully edit, elaborate, and add to this fic, but for right now this was all I was able to complete ;_; Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this little piece I wrote.

The voices from downstairs floated into Renjun’s room, distracting him from his game of cup pong against Jaemin. Every few minutes Renjun would hear his own name travel through the air, talking about his upcoming senior year and how much he’d grown. Occasionally, too, there’d be the sound of cups clinking or maybe the sliding of a plate against the kitchen counter, where Renjun’s mom and Mrs. Lee were no doubtably drinking iced tea– or maybe lemonade– and snacking. They could be snacking on cheese, but no, Renjun knew they were out of cheese when he’d gone to look in the fridge earlier that day. So maybe they were eating chips, but Renjun knew his mother wouldn’t serve those to a guest. Perhaps watermelon, or maybe the strawberries his mother had bought that morning. Probably the latter Renjun decided. 

The sound of Renjun’s stomach interrupted his game– and his eavesdropping. He regretted not just grabbing the bag of chips in the pantry earlier when he was downstairs. Now if he went down he’d have to talk to Mrs. Lee, which wasn’t the worst thing, but he knew she’d ask about how his summer was going and why he and Donghyuck never hung out anymore– let’s just say those were all things he didn’t want to talk about.

But as his stomach continued to rumble, it appeared he didn’t have much of a choice. His room was getting stuffy anyway, and Renjun knew downstairs was usually at least five degrees cooler, something to do with better circulation. So, with a sigh, he got up from the bed, fixed his light brown hair and tried to make his weathered sophomore year orchestra t-shirt look presentable, and opened his door.

The feeling of cool air hitting his face felt refreshing, and made the approach to the kitchen almost worth it. 

The voices were no longer muffled, and they increased in volume as Renjun walked closer– down the stairs and through the door on the right. 

As Renjun walked through the door, the first thing he noticed was that they were drinking iced tea, the drinks sitting on the counter dripping with condensation. He noticed rings around the granite surface that had been left from the cups when they’d been placed there previously. He then saw the plate sat between the women, Renjun’d been right as there were fresh strawberries placed on it. 

His mother looked up at him and her face brightened, “Oh Renjun there you are, sweetie! We’d just been talking about you.”

Mrs. Lee, who’d had her back turned to him, twisted around with a wide smile forming on her face.

“What a surprise! Renjun I feel as if I haven’t seen you in ages!”

Renjun plastered a smile onto his face as well (it wasn’t that he wasn’t happy to see her, necessarily, he just wanted to get some food without being interrogated) “Hi Mrs. Lee, it’s really been awhile.”

“Sure has, dear. And oh, tell me, what have you been doing this summer?”

Renjun knew he wouldn’t be able to escape this conversation for awhile, so he walked closer to the ladies on the other side of the kitchen. 

“Ah, I haven’t done much really, I’ve either been busy with work or trying to hang with my friend, Jaemin, he’s pretty busy working as well.”

“Oh how you’ve grown up! My Donghyuckie too has really grown up, you probably know this already but he went away to camp this summer.”

Renjun hadn’t known, and he had to prevent himself from snorting in response– what 17 year old still goes to camp? 

“Oh really? I hadn’t known. What kind of camp is it?” 

“Oh it’s a music camp, you know how much he likes music, and he loves singing too. He found this place on his own and decided to go.”

Renjun did know how much Donghyuck liked music. When they were kids he’d run around singing his favorite songs. Sometimes, when a song he loved would play on the hello kitty radio in Donghyuck’s room, the boy would run up to it and play it as loud as he could. It’d cause his mom to even yell from downstairs to turn it down. Renjun even remembered the first time the boy showed him he could play piano, he propped himself up on the mini grand piano in the living room and punched out a mediocre twinkle twinkle little star, but the boy had the largest smile on his face. It was the first time Renjun had thought that Donghyuck was absolutely glowing, even in his 9 year old adolescent brain. It was a memory that was powerful enough to even remain with the boy today. But Renjun didn’t want to talk about Donghyuck.

“Music camp sounds like something Donghyuck would enjoy. He must be having lots of fun.” Renjun smiled again at Mrs. Lee.

“Oh yes! He writes back every week about everyone he’s meeting and all the fun he’s having!”

Renjun’s mother spoke then, “Oh,right. Isn’t the camp rather far away? And my gosh do you mean writing letters? Is there no cell service where he is?”

Renjun walked away then, figuring the conversation had entirely shifted off of himself and that neither woman would notice his absence. He walked over to the pantry digging through the food they had. He picked up small bits and pieces of the continuing conversation, that yes, the camp was very far and only camp counselors are allowed to have their phones before he found a bag of takis and practically ran back up to his room. The refreshing downstairs air had been nice, but truthfully he missed the heat and stuffy air from his room.

-

Renjun didn’t see Donghyuck until two weeks into the new school year. He wasn’t counting, really. And truthfully, in the past during school the two only passed by each other a few times, as Renjun could recall. 

The reason Renjun knew it had been two weeks was because seeing Donghyuck kind of ruined everything for Renjun.

The bell for lunch had rang, so Renjun began his daily trek to the cafeteria to buy lunch. (Since high school had started, his mother stopped making his lunch in the mornings, so it was up to Renjun to make them, and he neither cared enough or had enough time to throw one together. Thus he bought his lunches at school.) Renjun and Jaemin had class together right before lunch, so luckily Renjun always had someone to walk and get food with. 

They were bounding up the school stairway, racing to see who could get to the cafeteria first (without running of course, because they’d get in trouble). It was a daily competition they had, one Renjun pretended he didn’t care about, but always became a little butt hurt if he lost. 

The two reached the top of the stairs, Jaemin turning to shout at Renjun slightly behind him to catch up, when the boy bumped into someone. It was something that happened often, a common casualty in their stupid game in a very busy hallway, and Renjun always pretended he didn’t know Jaemin when it occured. The other boy quickly turned back around, apologizing to who he had bumped into, Renjun attempting to slide past unnoticed and beat Jaemin to the lunch line, when “Oh fuck.”

Two pairs of eyes turned to face Renjun as he stood basically right next to Jaemin and the person he’d run into. Renjun then realized he’d actually said “oh fuck” aloud, and that he’d said it at a very high volume. Loud enough to even have a few people walking past and glance his way.

Standing across from Jaemin stood none other than Lee Donghyuck, Renjun’s neighbor and childhood friend who he hadn’t seen in close to three months because he was away at camp. Lee Donghyuck who, in those three months, became incredibly attractive. Blindingly. Distractingly. It wasn’t fair.

‘Renjun, what-”  
He cut off Jaemin first, mind catching up to the situation and processing that Jaemin and Donghyuck were both still staring at him in confusion, and that Renjun had been staring at Donghyuck for who knows how long at this point. “Shit. Um, I gotta go. Bye.”

Renjun ducked his head and continued the journey to the cafeteria, the race forgotten and his mind running a mile a minute. 

He heard Jaemin say a quick “sorry again” before the boy was back at his side looking at him with that look again, a mix of surprise and confusion. The boy placed his hand on Renjun’s shoulder and, as they walked, attempted to bend down and catch Renjun’s attention, who was still looking at the floor.

“Dude? Are you gonna explain what happened there?” 

“Nothing happened.” Truthfully, Renjun wasn’t sure what had happened. He saw Donghyuck, who Jaemin had bumped into, and apparently stopped in his tracks because, what? Because Donghyuck had gotten hot? Renjun had seen lots of hot people in his life, none had made him react that way, so why did Donghyuck?

He heard Jaemin mutter a “mhm” in a disbelieving tone before they finally reached the cafeteria and he opened the door.

The last thought Renjun had before walking into the cafeteria and planning to ban this entire topic from his mind ever again was, Oh God, Lee Donghyuck got hot.

-

Renjun had successfully done as he had planned, never thinking about the words “Donghyuck” and “hot” in the same sentence since then, or at least not consciously.

Renjun woke up that morning, a week since he saw Donghyuck, feeling well rested and looking forward to the school day ahead. And Renjun hated it. He felt like taking a shower to scrub away the dream he’d had that night. Even just thinking about it made his skin crawl (except it didn’t, and he hadn’t woken up feeling that peaceful and comfortable in a very long time, but Renjun would never voice that out loud). And the worst part, was that this wasn’t the first time he’d had this dream or felt this way in fact, he’d woken up almost every day recalling the fading memories of his dream with a faint smile on his face. He was fucked.

The dream had started out pretty average, Renjun was seated in class, the one he shared with Jaemin before lunch, and he looked up at the clock, noticing the bell was about to ring. He looked around his surroundings, noticing he and and all the other students were in their normal seats, it was his regular teacher, droning on in the front of the class while messily scrawling something on the white board. He looked at his desk in front of him, noticed the open textbook and journal placed in front of him, doodles lining the margins as always. His favorite green pencil was held firmly in his hand. Everything was as it should have been, a normal day in his class that made Renjun even question whether this was a dream.

The bell sounded, signaling the end of class, and he started to pack his things, placing everything in his backpack, making sure his eraser and pencil were placed in his pouch. And he stood to go meet Jaemin at his desk. But as he began the walk over he realized the other wasn’t there anymore, already walking out the door and grabbing hands with a boy that was waiting for him. Now it felt like a dream, Renjun thought, Jaemin didn’t have a boyfriend. And then the boy realized he didn’t have anyone to go to lunch with, their usual race to the cafeteria not on since Jaemin had left together with someone else. He let out a sigh and put the other strap of his backpack on, figuring maybe he’d get some food from a vending machine or something, maybe he’d eat in the library too, he didn’t want to third wheel. 

As he walked out the classroom door, looking at the already mostly empty hallway, he turned to his left, knowing there was a vending machine that way. 

Behind him, Renjun heard, “Babe, where are you going?” before a hand was placed in his own. He turned around in surprise, but before he could say anything, he felt a pair of lips press against his cheek. “C’mon let’s go meet up with Jeno and Jaemin in the cafeteria.”

He felt himself being pulled along by his hand by none other than Lee Donghyuck. And it felt… nice? Renjun never found himself wanting to pull his hand from Donghyuck’s, instead he jogged a little to be walking beside him, their shoulders brushing. He looked up at the boy next to him, just slightly taller (Renjun had never really thought about their height difference, but he supposes Donghyuck must be taller than him now, even if when they were children they were exactly the same height), and he felt a smile pull at his lips. He felt comfortable, loved, walking besides Donghyuck. 

The other seemed to notice his staring and looked down at him, a smirk slid across his face. “What?” he asked, voice teasing.

Renjun felt his cheeks burn at being caught, and turned his head away, he hummed, “Nothing.” He pulled on the other’s hand, making them walk faster. Renjun thought the moment was strangely (read: pleasantly) intimate in the nearly empty hallway, and he just wished to get to the cafeteria faster. Renjun felt Donghyuck squeeze his hand tighter, and the embarrassment Renjun had been feeling before melted away. He looked back at the other boy, as he’d been walking slightly ahead of the other, and the look in Donghyuck’s eyes startled him enough to stop walking. His eyes looked full of something that Renjun didn’t want to label, was too scared to label, was worried his eyes were full of the same thing as he looked at the other boy. 

Donghuck began to walk towards him, with that look, and with a sweet smile on his lips, and Renjun stepped backwards. He took a step back with each step the other made towards him, until his back hit the lockers that lined the walls of the hallway, and Donghyuck kept walking closer. 

Renjun felt his heart beating in his chest, feeling like it was going a mile a minute, could feel the pounding of it in his ears. Donghyuck placed his hand gently on Renjun’s jaw, tilting his head just slightly upwards, and Renjun followed easily. The boy in front of him began leaning in just slightly, and Renjun closed his eyes, waiting. He felt the ghost of a breath against his lips, which then wracked a shiver down his spine. He felt the breath get that much closer, and he knew Donghyuck was just barely an inch away, and Renjun thought that maybe, if he just tilted his chin up a little, just slightly to the side, then their lips would meet and-

And that was when Renjun had woken up that morning, feeling the ghost of lips against his that he hadn’t even kissed. The full weight of the dream hit him a few minutes after he’d woken up, after he’d replayed the dream in his mind once or twice. He’d dreamed about dating Donghyuck, about holding hands with Donghyuck, about kissing Donghyu–

That's the end of that thought, and the end of thinking of these dreams until the next morning. Because ultimately, Renjun knew he would have another dream similar to this one that night, he’d already been having dreams like these all week. 

God Damn Lee Donghyuck. Why did he have to go and get hot.

-

These dreams ultimately led to Renjun being painfully aware of Donghyuck at school and in his neighborhood. Now, when he’d only see Donghyuck at most once a week, he was seeing him multiple times a week, maybe even multiple times in a day. And Renjun even felt himself wanting to search for the other, and he hated it. 

It was hard for Renjun to ignore the truth of the situation, and that was that Renjun was acting a lot like he had a crush on Donghyuck. He wasn’t sure if he was quite there yet, and it pained him to even acknowledge this, but it was probably bound to happen. Renjun was wishing Donghyuck would be a dick to him, but the truth was that the two of them don’t talk, and every time Renjun sees the boy with other students they’re always laughing or talking with large smiles on their faces. Renjun hated how amazing Donghyuck was.

When Renjun was at home, sometimes he’d look out his window which faced the street, and see a car drop off a boy in front of Donghyuck’s house, and he would knock on the front door, only to be let in moments later. Renjun felt kind of gross spying on Donghyuck, but he was honestly just very curious about who this guy was, and how Donghyuck knew him. 

Sometimes Renjun would see him leave, usually later at night, after dinner and the sky had become dark, and, again, he would feel himself wondering who this boy was and what he was doing at Donghyuck’s for hours at a time. He’d stay for dinner, for god’s sake, he had to be really close with Donghyuck, right?

-

This was how Renjun spent his time for awhile, and the more he saw of Donghyuck the more he began to like him. The boy was caring and funny, seemed to light up a room when he walked in. Renjun wasn’t sure why he thought the other had changed a lot since their childhood, but truthfully he hadn’t. Watching people get excited and already have a smile across their face when Donghyuck walked up to them felt so reminiscent of how they were as children. Thinking back to the memories were sweet, and Renjun began to feel himself questioning why they stopped being friends in the first place. But Renjun knew why, and he was the one to blame for it, so there wasn’t much questioning to do. 

But from everything, Renjun felt himself liking Donghyuck not just because of what he looked like, but also because of his personality. Renjun even began to admit he had a crush on Donghyuck. A full blown crush that made him hate the world and want to even forget what the feeling was like, but also made him feel obnoxiously happy and light on his feet at all times. Rose-colored glasses and whatnot. 

Renjun knew his friends were bound to notice the difference in him, no matter how much he tried to stomp down the feelings. 

He’d find Jaemin looking at him inquisitively at random times throughout the school day, sometimes muttering something under his breath that Renjun never quite caught. He’d never asked the boy to repeat himself too, because that would lead to a conversation Renjun didn’t want to have. It was easier when he was the only one who knew about his little crush.

-

Renjun noticed that whenever he saw Donghyuck at school, there would always be that boy with him, who he often saw go over to Donghyuck’s. They similar to how Jaemin and Renjun were, practically tied at the hip. The boy was tall, taller than Donghyuck and himself, maybe about the height of Jaemin, and he had jet black hair, swept to the side softly, but the combo of black ripped jeans and black band tees contradicted the friendly look on his face. Seeing Donghyuck and the boy next to each other was comical to be honest, the contrast between Donghyuck’s bright sweaters and light wash jeans and the other boy made Renjun wonder how they even became friends. But then Renjun also thought that appearances can be misleading, and he shouldn’t judge the other boy by the clothes he wears– still the two made an odd pair.

Renjun worried whether they were dating at first, but he decided he wouldn’t think about that. He wasn’t sure how he’d be able to prove whether Donghyuck and the boy were or weren’t, and people can be very close and not be dating. Truthfully, it felt a little weird to just assume they were dating. So, he pushed the thought out of his mind, only feeling a slight twinge when he’d see the two sometimes hold hands walking down the hallway at school. Donghyuck had always liked skinship though, he never really thought twice about grabbing Renjun’s hand when they were children, maybe that part about him hadn’t changed.

A little over a month since school started, both Jaemin and Renjun were feeling the full force of their classes. Teachers had started to give quizzes on the material they’d taught so far, and both boys felt a strong need to study. So they clamored into Renjun’s car after school and made the fifteen minute drive to his house for a study session. 

They’d made it about an hour and a half into the session when Renjun saw Jaemin stretch his arms high above his head and let out a loud yawn. Renjun realized how long it’d been and determined that, yeah, it was probably time for a break– and maybe a snack. He pushed back his wheeled chair from his desk, sending him 3 feet back from his desk, gaining the other boy’s attention.

“You hungry?”

“Hell yeah.”

The boys walked down Renjun’s stairs into his kitchen, and then dug deep into the pantry in search for something unhealthy to snack on. Renjun grabbed a bag of takis and Jaemin found some cheddar goldfish, and the two sat on the counter in the kitchen. They chatted for a few minutes, stuff about school, homework, Jaemin’s soccer team, college apps coming up. Just the thought of applying to college made Renjun’s head hurt, and it was something that he’d been putting off for awhile, but he wouldn’t be able to do that for much longer.

The sound of a car honking grabbed both of the boys’ attention, looking out the window in the kitchen across the street to Donghyuck’s house. Donghyuck had just parked his truck in the driveway, him and the black haired boy making their way up the driveway and into the house. Renjun followed the movement until both boys made their way inside, with the door closing shut behind them.

When he turned back to his friend next to him, he saw the other was already looking at him.

“What?”

Jaemin looked as if he had something on the tip of his tongue, debating whether he should say it or not. He seemed to decide then, nodding his head slightly and setting a determined expression across his face.

“Do you like Jeno?”

Of all the things Renjun thought his friend would say, that was not it. And– wait, who was Jeno?  
“Who?”

“That boy, the one with Donghyuck. I’ve seen you looking over at him recently, and– and I’m asking. Do you like Jeno?”

“What? No.” Renjun swore he saw a look of relief flash across Jaemin’s face.

“Oh. Then, uh, nevermind.”

There was a moment of silence between the two, awkward and stiff, and Renjun hated it. It felt like they both had something they wanted to say, but were holding back. But Renjun realized, Jaemin is his best friend, he could say or ask him anything he wanted to, so he did.

“Do you like Jeno?”

His friends ears turned a bright pink and the boy bit down a smile that threatened to cross his face. “No.” But even to Renjun’s ears, he could hear the lie.

“Na Jaemin, you have a crush don’t you.” It wasn’t a question, Renjun could already tell.

“God, fine, okay? Yes I do like Jeno, kind of a lot.” He paused, “Sorry for not telling you.”

“What? No, it’s fine. Just because we’re best friends doesn’t mean we have to tell each other everything.” Renjun hoped his best friend felt the same way.

He watched a smile cross his friends face, and he looked back up at Renjun. “Thanks. I was just worried, I really thought you liked him too. You always look over at him and Donghyuck. You think you’re good at hiding it but you’re not.”

Renjun felt his face burn at that, and he quickly turned away hoping Jaemin wouldn’t notice. He didn’t say anything either, didn’t deny that he does look over at Donghyuck, and by extension Jeno. That was probably just as incriminating as trying to deny it.

“Holy shit! Huang Renjun, do you have a crush on Donghyuck?” The boy next to him slapped his shoulder over and over, “Oh my God!” he yelled again. “I never thought I'd see the day that you liked someone! And none other than Lee Donghyuck. Wow that's truly unexpected-”

“Enough, okay. I get it.” But even Renjun’s harsh tone was betrayed as he smiled. It felt nice to tell Jaemin. He wasn’t even really sure why he hadn’t told him earlier.

He was worried, before, that if he told anyone, then the crush would feel very real, but it had been real before he told Jaemin. He liked Donghyuck, had for a little while at this point, and it truthfully felt nice to talk about it.

-

Renjun hated Jaemin. Absolutely hated him– except not really, but he at least hated him a lot right now.

Apparently Jaemin had a class with Jeno, they sat near each other and became pretty close because of that. So today, Jaemin had the idea to invite Jeno and his friends (read: Donghyuck) to have lunch with them, without telling Renjun.

So on their daily trip/obstacle course/race up to the cafeteria, Renjun was surprised when the arm draped around him left his shoulders, Jaemin didn’t just immediately run past the other. Renjun’s eyebrows furrowed. He turned around, and saw his best friend now with his arm holding onto Jeno’s as they walked to get food. And with them, Donghyuck, walking closely and seeming to be finishing his conversation he had before Jaemin attached himself to Jeno.

“What the fuck.” 

He looked at Jaemin, who only responded with a smile and a nod of his head, telling Renjun to follow them to the cafeteria.

-

So that’s how Renjun got into the situation he’s in now, sitting at a lunch table across from Donghyuck. Donghyuck who is blindingly beautiful, whos laugh makes Renjun’s heart race, who, when he looks at Renjun, makes him turn a bright pink.

It had been a little awkward at first, but Jaemin’s friendly personality and Donghyuck’s loud one met and made everyone feel comfortable. Occasionally Jeno and Jaemin would go off into their own world, talking with each other about their shared class or some other thing Renjun didn’t know about, and he and Donghyuck would be left, so they’d make small conversation about school and classes, or maybe about college. But everything felt a little stunted, Donghyuck acted more reserved around Renjun, the boy noticed.

The two other boys seemed to be pulled out of their conversation, and Jaemin spoke up, “You guys are taking calculus this year right?” talking to Jeno and Donghyuck, “Pretty brutal right?”

Jeno spoke up first, “God, yeah it’s awful. We haven’t even started learning any of the actual hard topics and I don’t even know what’s going on.” He whined, placing his head in his hands. Renjun and Jaemin laughed a little at him, but they felt sympathy for him. 

Jeno looked at Donghyuck then, glaring at him, “This fucker is really good at calc though, always knows the answers and looks at me like I’m stupid if I don’t get something.”

Donghyuck just shrugged his shoulders, “It makes sense to me.”

“That’s like Jaemin, I’ll spend a couple hours doing the homework, and it’ll take him 30 minutes. He’ll whine, saying I take too long when we do it together.” That was probably the most Renjun had said so far, he realized belatedly.

“Hey what if we got together to do the homework sometime? Or maybe to study? The dummies can do it together and Donghyuck and I can ditch you guys after an hour?”

Renjun looked over at his friend next to him, “You’re such an ass,” before grabbing the boy and putting him in a headlock. After everything today, Renjun really felt like Jaemin deserved it.

Jeno spoke up then, after Renjun had finally let Jaemin go. “You know that’s not a bad idea? Renjun and I could ask you guys questions too, maybe we could even do it at a cafe and get some drinks too.”

“Yeah that sounds fun.”

Renjun nodded in agreement. It did sound kind of fun, and maybe Renjun could convince Jaemin to buy a drink for him.

“Then its a plan. We have that quiz coming up on Friday, what if we met up on Thursday after school to study?”

Everyone nodded their heads, available to meet up then. It was a plan.

-

Thursday came along, and with it a massive storm. It hadn’t started raining until the late morning though, just having been cloudy in the morning, until little by little the sky grew darker until it seemed it couldn’t get any darker, and then drops of water began to fall. By the afternoon it was pouring, rain hitting hard against the ground and soaking everything within reach. 

Jaemin went up to Renjun after class as he packed up his bag, and wrapped his arm tightly around Renjun’s neck.

“Hey buddy!” Renjun squirmed against his hold, failing to get out of it. 

“The fuck, dude.”

He angled their bodies so Renjun could see out the window Jaemin was now pointing at, “Sure is raining hard out there, huh?”

Monotone, “Cats and dogs.”

“And we’re meeting Jeno and Donghyuck to study today, right?”

“Um, yeah.”

“And since I was late today I’m parked really far away-”

“Seems like your fault.”

“- and Jeno doesn’t drive, and for god knows what reason, Donghyuck walked to school today, we were hoping you’d give us a ride in your car? Please?”

“God, please let go of me,” Renjun twisted out of Jaemin’s hold– or maybe the other boy loosened his grip– doesn’t matter.

Renjun looked out the window again, with how hard the rain was coming down Jaemin would be completely wet in seconds, and he couldn’t let Donghyuck or Jeno walk in this weather. He looked back at his friend, who was now giving him the most pathetic puppy dog eyes he’s ever seen, or well at least seen in awhile. Jaemin was a master at the puppy dog eyes, using it only when need be, in times of great importance. Which was apparently now.

Letting out a sigh and after rolling his eyes, “Sure, I guess I can drive you guys.”

“Oh yes! Thank you Junnie! They’re waiting for us over by the front doors let's hurry already!” he said, as the boy pushed Renjun out of their classroom, causing him to almost trip over his feet.

“Calm down, Jesus Christ.”

Truthfully, Renjun didn’t mind driving the others, he was fine with the idea the second Jaemin proposed it. But Renjun had an image to uphold, and being stubborn for absolutely no reason was a big part of that image. So he pretended like driving them was a huge nuisance, but on the inside he was excited. Having the others arguing over shotgun and who had control over the aux cord, or yelling at everyone to move their seat forward, Renjun was looking forward to it.

The front of the school was crowded, everyone waiting to be picked up by their parents under the protection of the school roof, or students who were parked far from the school campus and were praying the rain would let up just enough that they could leave campus not entirely drenched. Among them, Renjun found Donghyuck, leaning against a vending machine, his orange hair and lavender sweater standing out amongst the peers surrounding him.  
Renjun’s eyes moved to the right and found Jeno just next to him, slightly taller than Donghyuck. His all black attire and well proportioned body made him stand out just as much as Donghyck, only for the complete opposite reasons. 

Jaemin ran up next to them, finding a place right along side (read: crammed next to) Jeno. Renjun hadn’t even noticed the boy leave his side. Renjun approached and the others’ eyes shifted to him. He scratched against the back of his neck, willing the burning in his cheeks from the attention away.

“Are we ready to go then?” Renjun tipped his head in the direction of the double doors, out to where his car was parked a few rows out. He watched as Donghyuck gulped, seeming to dread going out in the rain. Renjuns cheeks felt hot again, and he turned his attention away from the boy.

Jeno pushed his glasses up his nose, “Now or never I suppose.”

And with that, they all made a mad dash to the car, Renjun attempting to pull the keys out of his backpack and unlock it so they could hop in as soon as they reached it. Jeno and Jaemin, who practically held hands while running, crawled into the back next to each other, and Donghyuck ran to the otherside, leaping into the front. 

The car was ice cold when they got inside, the leather seats frigid against their hands and through the fabric of their pants. Renjun rushed to turn on the car, blasting the heater and turning on the seat warmers in the front seats. Next to him, Donghyuck held his hands in front of an air vent, wringing his hands in attempts to get every inch warm and feeling again. Behind him he could see Jeno and Jaemin doing the same, although he could’ve sworn they were actually holding hands now.

When Renjun felt like he could breathe again, his chest no longer tight and teeth chattering, he instructed everyone to put on their seatbelts before backing out of the school parking lot.

The cafe they were going to wasn’t far, maybe a five minute drive down the street, and the drive was spent in relative peace, just the soft sound of the radio playing and Jaemin occasionally complaining about his soaked socks. 

Renjun looked over at Donghyuck beside him at one stoplight. The boy no longer had his hands in front of the air vent, they instead were placed underneath his thighs, against the set beneath that was presumably just as warm as Renjun’s now, from the seat warmer. His eyes were closed, and Renjun watched the boy let out a sigh, quiet and soft. There were still a few raindrops littering the boys face, most trapped on his long eyelashes. A drop slid down the slope of his cheek, then, falling against the knit fabric of his sweater, turning it a shade darker before fading back to the original tone. Renjun heard a throat clear behind him and he focused back on the road, noticing the signal had now turned green. Renjun cleared his throat quietly in return, once again willing away the blush on his cheeks.

-

The cafe was warm, contrasting the cold rain outside, but like the car they exited before running to the cafe. There are a few other people inside, a small group of other students pouring over their textbooks like they were about to. The cafe, however, was slower than usual, most people probably just wanting to go home and curl up in some blankets. That thought seemed pretty appealing to Renjun too.

They each ordered their drinks, and Renjun did actually convince Jaemin to pay for his drink. At least he was getting something out of this, Renjun thought.

They find a booth in the corner of the little shop, half shielded from the rest of the place, hoping this would keep them from getting distracted. Renjun still felt a little cold, his jacket decently wet from their races through the rain, but he figured he’ll get used to it soon enough.

The seating happens pretty naturally, Jaemin pulling Jeno into the booth next to him, and Renjun scooting into the booth before Donghyuck finds his place next to him. The booth is big, but somehow Jaemin and Jeno are plastered right next to each other, but he chose not to comment on this fact. Truthfully, they were cute, and Renjun was slightly jealous of them. Maybe he’d be able to have something similar, Renjun thought.

“Wait was there homework tonight? Or just the study guide?” Jaemin asks.

Renjun pulls out his binder, finding spare sheets of paper to work on and the study guide, “I’m pretty sure just the study guide.”

“Alright then, shall we begin?” Donghyuck had his materials spread out on the table, his hands crossed in front of him and he looked at everyone. 

With a deep sigh, Jeno said, “We shall.”

-

They make quick work, or really Donghyuck and Jaemin do. Everytime Jeno or Renjun ask them a question they feel the need to comment on how “you're only on that question? I did that one at least ten minutes ago.” 

But finally after about an hour and a half and finishing each of their own drinks, they finish. Or, well, Donghyuck and Jaemin finish, and Renjun and Jeno collectively agree to give up. They each only had a few questions left anyway.  
It’s still pretty early in the afternoon, but with the heavy rain carrying on and the dark clouds overhead, it is dark outside, and increasingly getting darker each minute. Not to mention their minds are fried from all the math.

Renjun leans back against the booth, pulls his legs up and crosses them on the bench and rubs his eyes. “I need more caffeine.” Donghyuck next to him makes a grunt in agreement, and the two of them peel themselves off the booth. Jaemin and Jeno had been getting gross now that there was no more studying to distract them, and Renjun felt like he had to get away.

“God they act like they’re dating already.”

Donghyuck barks out a laugh in response, “Yeah, it really only seems like a matter of time, doesn’t it?”

They share a glance, their smiles wide on their faces. Renjun feels his ears burn. They get their coffee and return to the booth.

“Hey Jun, can you drop Jeno and I off at my car at school? I said I’d give him a ride,” Jaemin asked.

“Oh sure.”

“Renjun, you and Donghyuck are neighbors right? You could totally give him a ride,” Jeno spoke up. They had all picked up their things and headed out the door. Renjun snuck a glance at Donghyuck.

“Yeah I guess.”

They all piled into the car, naturally falling into the same seats. The ride back to the school was quiet, everyone mentally exhausted from the hours of studying. They all agreed to meet up again, two weeks from now when they would have their next quiz.

Renjun pulled up next to Jaemin’s car in the school parking lot. The rain had significantly let up and was now only a light drizzle. Jaemin and Jeno got out of the car and piled into Jaemin’s.

“I’ll bet you $10 they’re gonna make out in there,” Donghyuck said beside him. 

Renjun looked over at the boy, “Oh they’re definitely gonna make out in there. I saw Jaemin applying chapstick before he got out of my car.”

“Gross.”

Renjun cringed, a brief imagine of his best friend making out with Jeno crossed his mind. “Yeah. Let’s get out of here before we see anything.”

The drive back was quiet, and insufferably awkward. Donghyuck looked out the passenger window the whole ride back and Renjun pretended he was intently focused on driving, when really he was painfully aware of the fact the Lee Donghyuck was in his car. He’d thought about saying something to Donghyuck, in hopes to start a conversation, maybe use his humor to charm the wits out of the other boy, but everytime he opened his mouth he couldn’t find the right words.

They pulled onto their street and Renjun let out a breath of relief. He stopped in front of Donghyuck’s house, put the car in park and watched as Donghyuck grabbed his backpack.

“Thanks for the ride,” he said, barely glancing in Renjun’s direction.

“Don’t worry about it.” And before Renjun could say another word, Donghyuck was out of the car and running through the ran to his front door. Renjun watched him for a second, before putting the car in drive and parking in his driveway.

-

The next day at lunch, Jeno and Jaemin announced they were dating- to no one's surprise. Renjun was happy for his friend, and the two of them were so cute together. But Renjun couldn’t help but feel jealous of them. And he couldn’t help but feel worried that Jaemin wouldn’t hang out with him as much.

-

They met up Thursday, two weeks after their last study group, at the same cafe. Donghyuck had his car today, and the weather was nice, so they all drove and met up seperately, besides Jeno riding with Jaemin.

“Hi there what can I get for you?”

“Can I just get a small macchiato.” Renjun smiled at the cashier, a girl around their age, she probably even went to their school, but Renjun didn't know her.

“Alright your total is $3.45,” she said.

Renjun reached for his wallet in his back pocket, pulling it out as he saw someone hand a $20 bill to the cashier. He looked beside him to see Donghyuck with his wallet open and waiting for his change from the cashier.

“What-”

“For driving me home last time,” Donghyuck said.  
“Ah, you really didn’t have to, I didn’t mind driving you. Since we’re neighbors...”

“Well, it's too late now. Go ahead and sit with the guys while I order.”

“...Okay.”

Renjun sat down in the booth, opposite the Jaemin and Jeno again. Jaemin leaned over the table, gaining Renjun’s attention from where he was digging through his backpack. “Donghyuck really acts different around you?” They both looked over at the mentioned boy, still ordering his drink. Renjun had had the thought before, but was hoping it was just him being overly sensitive. But, no, Jaemin had noticed it too, so Donghyuck really did act differently around him. He didn’t bother answering Jaemin and continued to pulling out his school supplies from his backpack.

-

“This literally does not make sense!” Renjun felt like screaming, honestly. Calculus is stupid. It’s stupid and hard and he shouldn’t have to take the class.

“Relax dude, don’t pull your hair out.” Renjun sent a glare to Jaemin.

“Easy for you to say! You get this stuff. Jeno, this is hard right?”

Jeno seemed hesitant to respond to Renjun, “I actually get this part.” Renjun slammed his head on the table.

Beside him Donghyuck let out a loud laugh. Renjun wasn’t sure whether he was laughing at Renjun’s confusion or his physical display of frustration. Then the other leaned over and offered to help him. If Renjun spent the rest of the study session basically leaning int0 Donghyuck, that was no one’s business. 

-

Math was dumb. Specifically, calculus was dumb. Renjun didn’t get why he still couldn’t understand what was going on on the paper in front of him. It felt like whenever he started to understand a concept his teacher would move on to a new one, equally as complex as the last. He’d had an especially hard time in today’s class, the new concept truly look like gibberish on the white board. He could feel himself prematurely greying from that class alone.

He’d been staring at the same problem– the last ten problems on his homework for the past fifteen minutes. He wanted to give up, had closed his notebook three times already, only to open it again a minute later because he actually needed to finish the assignment. His teacher graded on completion, and he needed to get his grade as high as possible before their next exam.  
Renjun had texted Jaemin, who of course hadn’t responded yet– and probably wasn’t going to before Renjun went to bed that night. Jaemin and Jeno were hanging out basically all the time now, to the point that Renjun was starting to feel a little left out.

So that’s how Renjun ended up here, on Donghyuck’s porch, waiting for someone to answer the door. He had his backpack on his shoulder, calc textbook in hand, and he shifted from foot to foot.

The door opened, and Donghyuck looked at him in surprise. “Oh-”

Before Donghyuck could continue Renjun cut him off, “Hi I know this is probably- you know- but, uh, I really need to finish this fucking assignment and I’ve tried to do it like seven different times and none of the answers are right, and- can you help me. Please.” He pushed the math notebook into Donghyuck’s arms and walked through the front door.

“....Sure.”

-

And that's how Renjun ends up at Donghyuck’s house three times a week– Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. He would initially come over in a frustrated storm, barging into Donghyuck’s front door, mad that he couldn’t solve all the problems, but eventually he just started to come over before he even began the homework. They would work through it slowly, Donghyuck helping Renjun whenever he couldn’t solve a problem, and letting him stay until he completes every problem. Which sometimes would end up being over an hour after Donghyuck would finish.

It felt weird at first, going over to Donghyuck’s. He used to go over almost every day when they were young, this house had felt like Renjun’s second home, all those years ago. Now it felt like somewhere he used to know really well, but some of the furniture was different– they’d gotten a new dining room table and a new rug and TV in the family room. Each room felt intensely familiar while also being incredibly alien. It was both nostalgic and not.

Sometimes they’d go up and do the homework there, and Renjun would be overwhelmed with nostalgia . He’d look at the bed in the same corner of the room of how he got a new desk, bigger and with a darker wash on the wood. He had a picture of him and his mom and his dresser and one of his childhood dog. So many things looked exactly the same, maybe only slightly worn with age, while others looked like he was in a whole other house.

-

Renjun was sitting at the dining room table now, books spread out in front of him and a pencil in his hand. He had been looking at the piece of artwork hung on the wall that separated the dining room from the kitchen. He knew that the swirly abstract piece that was there now wasn’t what had been there before, all those years ago. It was hurting him that he couldn’t remember, a blurry image of the previous work loomed just out of his memory. It felt like he could almost, remember, almost reach the memory and pull it into the light, but he couldn’t. He’d been staring at it for at least a couple minutes, now. He knew this was mostly just a way to avoid doing more math homework, but now it was nagging at him that he couldn’t remember. 

“Hey, Donghyuck,” he said, turning to look at the boy sitting next to him. He startled when he found the Donghyuck already staring at him. Renjun felt his pulse quicken, but still continued with the question he wanted to ask. “What was there before?” he said, tilting his head in the direction of the artwork.

“Why did you stop hanging out with me?”

Renjun opened his mouth to respond, but his words felt stuck. He’d been totally caught off guard. Donghyuck and he hadn’t really talked about before, even Renjun asking about the previous artwork was stepping over the imaginary boundary that had been set. He opened his mouth again, this time words came out. “You didn’t answer my question.” Avoidance.

“Neither did you.”

“I asked first.”

“Fine. It was some painting of a tree, mostly blue but the trunk glowed with a red color. A print of a famous painting or something. Now, answer my question. When we were kids, why didn’t you hang out with me anymore?”

Yeah, a red tree that faded into a dark blue background, he remembered. The image was fuzzy in his brain but became more and more clear as he thought about it. He remembered sitting in this same dining room maybe ten years ago, eating hot dogs with Donghyuck and looking up at that painting. He thought it looked scary back then. 

He looked over at Donghyuck, eyes tracked all over his face. The face that somehow looked exactly the same and totally different than it had when they were little. More defined, more angular, more striking than before, but the eyes were the same. Those eyes were looking at Renjun the same way they had from across the street, looking over at Renjun, or through the screen door on Renjun’s front door when he said he couldn’t play. Renjun felt all he felt back then, back when it happened. He didn’t want to.

He began packing up his things quickly, throwing everything that would fit into his backpack and the rest he carried in his arms. The chair next to him squeaked on the floor as Donghyuck stood.

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“Just like that? You’re not gonna answer me?”

“No.”

They were walking through the living room now, Renjun looked down at the rug. He liked the old one better.

“Renjun, what the fuck?”

Renjun slammed the door behind him. He didn’t hear it open after him.

-

Things were different at school after that. The four of them, Renjun, Jaemin, Jeno, and Donghyuck, still ate lunch together. Jeno and Jaemin were still disgustingly cute together, but everything was more awkward. Renjun didn’t really want to talk to Donghyuck right now, incase Donghyuck asked him that question again. And Renjun was sure Donghyuck didn’t want to talk to him either. 

Conversations were more stinted, basically carried by Jeno and Jaemin. They had another quiz coming up and Jaemin suggested having another study session. Renjun was sure the others could feel the tension and were trying to lighten the mood, or to have them move past whatever had happened. Renjun said he couldn’t go at the same time as Donghyuck said he couldn’t go either. Renun couldn’t remember his excuse– it probably wasn’t real anyway.

-

“Dude, what the hell is going on?” Jaemin asked him as they met up after school ended.

“What do you mean?” He kept his head down. 

“You and Donghyuck have been… weird. Ever since a couple days ago.”

Renjun picked up his backpack to leave the building, “Don’t worry about it.”

“The fuck, dude? How can I not worry about it? It feels like our friend group is barely a thing anymore.

Renjun hadn’t really ever thought of the others in their group as “friends.” They hung out together sometimes, but it was more like he and Jaemin were friends, and Renjun put up with the others for Jaemin. But, truthfully, Renjun felt foolish thinking this now. Especially since he’d been going to Donghyuck’s house at least three times a week for the past month– of course they were friends. And Renjun had gone and shut out Donghyuck from his life once again.

“I think I was pretty mean to him and hurt his feelings, okay? It’s not something I’m proud of, but it happened. And I don’t know how to fix it, or whether or not I even really want to fix it.”

Renjun said what he felt in a rush, after having held everything in for so long, it felt nice to finally release it. And he knew Jaemin would always be there to listen and offer advice.

“What’d you do to him?”

Renjun paused, it felt nice to talk about everything, but it was still difficult. “Donghyuck and I used to be friends, back when we were kids. We were best friends, actually. But… we stopped hanging out. Or really I stopped hanging out with him. He asked me why, last week when I was over at his house, and I kinda just left.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

Jaemin looked a Renjun for a second, then asked, “Why did you stop hanging out with him?”

Renjun knew he could tell Jaemin everything, he did know that, and believed it. Even all those months ago he knew he could tell Jaemin about his crush. But this… this Renjun knew he should tell Donghyuck first. He knew he should’ve told Donghyuck this a long time ago. But the memory was dark, it was something he honestly didn’t want to remember. But, maybe, Renjun didn’t want it to ruin every part of his life. Didn’t want it to be held over his head like it felt like it was now.

“I– I think I should tell Donghyuck.” Renjun started running through the hallway. He felt like he might burst if he didn’t tell Donghyuck. He wanted to tell him everything, everything. “I’ll tell you later Jaemin! I gotta go!”

He ran to his car in the school parking lot and drove all the way to donghyuck’s house as fast as possible.

He reached Donghyuck’s house in only a few minutes, parking quickly and running to the front door. He rapped on the door with his knuckles, barely able to stop himself from bursting through the door. 

It swung open and just on the inside was Mrs. Lee. “Oh Renjun sweetie. Are you here for Donghyuck? He’s not back from school yet, though.”

Renjun’s eyes widened, then he checked the time on his phone. “Oh.” He hadn’t realized it was only 10 minutes since school got out. Donghyuck was probably still at school . Renjun hadn’t noticed the lack of Donghyuck’s car in the driveway. 

Mrs. Lee spoke again, “Oh, he probably won’t be much longer, though. Why don’t you go wait in Donghyuck’s room?” She ushered Renjun inside, gave him a glass of lemonade and some sliced apples and sent him up to Donghyuck’s room. 

It looked the same as the last time he’d been there. Bed disheveled and clothes thrown around the floor. His laptop on his desk had been left open the night before and seemed to have died sometime since then. Renjun noticed the charger laying just next to it and plugged it in. He picked up an apple slice, taking a bite as he walked around the rest of the room. That same picture of his mom was on the dresser, and that picture of Donghyuck’s dog that passed away a few years ago. Right next to it was a new picture, however, or actually a rather old picture. It was of Donghyuck and Renjun from when they were children, before Renjun stopped hanging out with Donghyuck. Their cheeks were smooshed together and they were both smiling, Donghyuck without his two front teeth and Renjun missing one. He still had his snaggletooth back them, and Donghyuck still had his chubby cheeks. A lot had changed since then.

Renjun heard the front door open and close down stairs, then the soft sound of socked feet running up stairs. Renjun quickly finished the apple piece he’d been chewing and stood awkwardly facing the door.

It opened quickly and in came Donghyuck, backpack still on his shoulder and car keys still in hand. He stopped when he saw Renjun, then continued into the room as if he didn’t care.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” Renjun felt shy, embarrassed, guilty all over again. He’d lost his resolve to just tell Donghyuck, and now wished he’d thought through this plan a little more. He should’ve at least planned out his words.

Donghyuck threw his backpack on the bed, and made to sit in his desk chair beside Renjun. Renjun thought he’d be mad, maybe even kick Renjun out the minute he saw him, but instead he seemed… sad.

“Jun,” Renjun winced at the nickname, “what are you doing here?”

“I-” What was wrong with him! Renjun wanted to tell Donghyuck! He raced all the way over here in a frenzy to tell him! But now that Donghyuck was here in front of him he felt loss for words.

Donghyuck rolled his chair up to the desk with his laptop and pressed the on button. “Listen, if you have nothing to say to me then why are you here? Just leave, I have an essay to write.”

Renjun squeezed his eyes shut. Say something! he thought. Say something! Say somet-

“I love you!”

“...”

“Wait. wait. I didn’t mean to say that. No I meant to tell you the reason I stopped being your friend… all those years ago…” Renjun’s voice faded into almost a squeak. His cheeks were blazing red and he couldn’t take his eyes off the floor. Donghyuck’s gaze never left Renjun.

Despite his urge to run out of the room and to never leave his house again, Renjun continued speaking. “Okay, um. Wow, okay. So, about ten years ago my dad left my mom and I. I never really talked to you, or anyone, about it, but I’m sure you know. Back then I was so upset, I remember just crying for days and days. I didn’t understand why he left, and I was even mad at my mom for letting him go. I know now she couldn’t have done anything. I used to think of my life in two parts, before my dad left and after. I didn’t want there to be overlap. I thought, if my dad left there must’ve been some reason, and maybe if I changed, maybe he would come back. This was the thinking of eight year old me. I thought maybe my dad was jealous that I spent so much time with you, so I started to stay home more, hoping somehow my dad would see that and want to come back.” Renjun looked at Donghyuck, his head was tilted downward and seemed to be looking at his hands in his lap.

“I soon realized he wasn’t going to come back. I think,” Renjun added, “I was also embarrassed that my dad left us. I didn’t really want others to know, so I distanced myself from those I was close to, and back then I was only really close to you.”

“And I’m really sorry about that. Once I realized my dad would not come back, I tried to forget him, I tried to only think of my least favorite memories of him. I don’t think that really helped though. Eventually I just forgot what it was like to have him around all the time. It started to be normal that it was just my mom and me. And at some point, too, it started to become normal that I just avoided you.”

Renjun felt like he’d been talking for an hour, but he carried on. “Maybe I even started to hate you at some point. I was jealous that you still had both your parents, that you always seemed to be having fun and smiling, that you had so many close friends- you had everything I wanted, and it made me hate you. And I am sorry for that, too, whether I ever really did hate you, I’m not sure, but I certainly don’t now.” Dodnghyuck hadn’t moved an inch the whole to Renjun had been talking.

“God, I’m sorry Donghyuck. I’m really really sorry for avoiding you and shutting you out of my life. I’m sorry for being so jealous and for hating you. And I'm sorry for not hating you anymore, not even a little bit. I guess I already said it, so I shouldn’t really hold back now, but I love you- or at least, I think I could. And I’m sorry again for unloading this onto you because I’m sure you just wanted a friend and now I don’t even know if I could ever just be friends with you- not for awhile anyway. Because I kind of like you a lot. And- and I should stop talking.”

Renjun clamped his mouth shut. He truthfully had so much more to say, now that he’d started he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to stop, but he’d said all he needed to right then. Probably more in fact, but Donghyuck’s lack of a reaction was really starting to freak him out.

“I guess trying to understand the thinking of an eight year old is almost impossible,” Donghyuck laughed. “But I’m glad you told me- really glad. I honestly thought I would have to live the rest of my life wondering why you cut me out, but now I really know. Thank you for telling me. And I accept your apologies, all of them.”

Renjun felt relief flood him. He was so happy Donghyuck had heard him, and that Renjun had finally told the other after so long. 

Renjun didn’t have any hope Donghyuck would like him back, so although he was happy that Donghyuck forgave him, all he could think about, now, was his rejection. He’d get over it, eventually. It’d be hard but for their friendship he’d do it.

“I said I accept all of your apologies Renjun,” Donghyuck stood up from the chair and walked towards Renjun.

Renjun furrowed his eyebrows. He’d heard Donghyuck the first time, why was he repeating himself?

Donghyuck walked closer, over to where Renjun was still standing in the middle of his room. He kept walking until they were almost chest to chest,and Renjun’s brain begin to malfunction. 

“Wh-what?” Renjun stammered out. 

“I don’t think I could be just friends with you, either. And I’m not apologizing for that.”

“Wait what?” Renjun really thought his mind was playing tricks on him now. 

Donghyuck let out a laugh, something lighter than his usual bark, and his eyes softened even more when they met Renjun’s. “I like you, too. Kind of a lot. Kind of have for awhile. Something close to ten years, give or take.”

Renjun’s chin dropped and Donghyuck laughed again, shrugged his shoulders, then closed Renjun’s mouth. Renjun couldn’t believe this, he never would have thought Donghyuck would’ve reciprocated his feelings, after everything. But here they were, standing in the middle of Donghyuck’s room,both having confessed their feelings. And Donghyuck was standing very, very close to Renjun. 

Renjun watched the other boy’s eyes dip down to his lips and - holy fuck this was happening. Donghyuck tilted his chin in and when his lips were almost on Renjun’s, Renjun put a finger up to his lips.

“Wait you like me?! Are you sure?” Renjun cursed himself. Timing never seemed to be his thing.

“Oh my god. Yes, Renjun, I am sure! Now do you want to kiss me?”

“So you really like me?”

“Yes I really do.” 

“Okay then, yeah, I wanna kiss you.”

“Finally.” Renjun agreed with him. Finally.

Donghyuck moved closer, and Renjun could feel his breath against his lips. Then he felt the warmth pressure of the other’s lips there. He startled at first, surprised by the feeling before he leaned in more. Their lips were pressed firmly together and Renjun waited. Slowly, Donghyuck began moving his lips and Renjun eagerly followed, hs veins overflowing with excitement. All his senses were full of Donghyuck and he loved it, every second.

-

Donghyuck’s tongue was warm against Renjun’s, and a shiver went up his spine. The pressure of Donghyuck’s chest against his chest and his legs around Renjun was comforting, all encapsulating. Renjun felt so relaxed and comfortable underneath Donghyuck. The bed shifted and blankets crumpled together with every move of theirs, and Renjun was pretty sure he’d have some pretty bad bedhead after their makeout session. 

He teasingly licked up into Donghyuck’s mouth, lapping behind his teeth before pulling back. Donghyuck’s breath was ragged and Renjun let out a laugh.

“Is it nice?”

“Don’t be a tease.”

Donghyuck wrapped his arms around Renjun and pulled him off the bed onto the floor on top of him. They landed with a loud thud and Donghyuck let out a grown.

“Maybe I didn’t think that all the way through.”

Renjun smirked, “You think?”

From downstairs they heard Renjun’s mom yell, “Boys! Come downstairs please!”

They picked themselves up from the ground and Renjun reached up, smoothing down Donghyuck’s hair that’d been messed up from Renjun running his hands through it. Donghyuck started straightening out Renjun’s clothes that were disheveled and twisted.

Renjun stood on his toes and gave Donghyuck one final peck before opening his bedroom door and walking out of it. Before reaching the top of the stairs he felt a hand intertwine with his own.

They went into the kitchen, where Mrs. Lee and Renjun’s mom were talking. Renjun couldn’t help but think he’d seen something like this before, many months ago.

“Hey boys.” Mrs. Lee said.

“Hi mom.”

“Hi Mrs. Lee.”

“Its spring break, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out with Jaemin and Jeno?”

“We’re supposed to be hanging out today actually.” Renjun looked at the time on the oven clock, 12:35. “Oh, they should actually be here any minute.”

A knock sounded on Renjun’s front door. “That must be them,” Renjun’s mom said.

The sound of the door opening and two people talking could be heard. “Jaemin are you sure it’s okay to just walk in?” Renjun could make this out as Jeno’s voice.

“Yes, it’s fine, don’t worry. I do this all the time.” Jaemin.

Renjun rolled his eyes, then turned to the two women in the kitchen, we’ll be on our way, then.”

They walked through the kitchen door and only heard the muffled shouting of Renjun’s mom telling them not to be out too late. 

“Okay, lets go,” Renjun said, as the four of them walked out the front door.


End file.
